The Mother’s Day Buying Guide: Gift Ideas For Outdoor Moms

This post comes from Pam Jahnke, owner and purchaser at Tahoe Mountain Sports. Pam leads an active outdoor life and she’s all about durable, reliable equipment. She also has a fabulous sense for fashion, so she’s highly skilled in picking the top-performing and best-looking outdoor gear. We asked Pam what she thought would make the best Mother’s Day gifts for moms who love outdoor sports and travel. Here’s the useful motherly advice she had for us:

Flowers are nice, but they die. Give the wonderful outdoors loving mother, wife, grandmother, or partner in your life something they can enjoy everyday and use to keep themselves healthy! I’ve looked through everything in the store to come up with the top three products for runners, hikers and travelers that I think would put a huge smile on someone’s face this Mother’s Day.

There’s Pam, smiling about something she loves dearly.

For the Hiker ~

My friend Dayna and I are planning a weeklong backpacking trip in September so I’m all about hiking and camping gear right now.

A good hydration backpack is a must. I had the same Gregory Backpack for 10 years and just upgraded to the Camelbak Day Star Hydration Pack. Wow, what a difference! This pack feels so good to wear and provides more support than my old pack, plus at 18-liters there’s enough volume to carry everything you need. I also love the Camelbak hydration bladder with Bite Valve.

Sun protection is also a must. That means a good hat and lots of sunscreen. We have tons of great hats right now so I suggest you take a look and pick one that matches your mom’s style. For hiking I like the Prana Sally Sun Hat. It has a medium brim that provides nice coverage without getting in the way of a backpack and it’s lightweight, cute and dries quickly. I recently tried (and became hooked) on Sierra Summits Apres Ultra Light Daily Facial Moisturizer. It has a super light, silky texture and works well to protect, which is very important living at 6,200 feet with never-ending exposure to sun, wind, snow and water.

Now for a cute layering piece. The Patagonia Piton Pullover is a great deal at 30% off. It’s a more techie fleece in a cute package with a smooth face fabrication, so it’s ideal for layering and offers an athletic fit for warmth. This is a great year round piece.

For the Runner ~

There are so many fun and cute things for runners right now!

The Salomon XR Sensibelt is super lightweight with this amazing mesh Velcro belt that adjusts and molds to your body for an exact fit that doesn’t move around. It’s easy to reach your water and the bottle won’t fall out while you’re running.

I love packing for a trip! I go through all my clothes until I narrow it down to the fewest number of items I can get away with and the most versatile looks. This has become even more important now that I’m a mom because I have to pack for two and carry that much more stuff. Last summer, we went to Turkey and Israel for two weeks and I packed everything I needed in a Patagonia MLC travel bag. Give mom something lightweight and packable this year to help lighten her load.

I love merino wool for travelling. It never wrinkles or smells and it keeps you warm when it’s chilly and cool when it’s hot. The Icebreaker Villa Dress will do all of that and more. It can go to dinner, out dancing or on a boat ride from Bali to Lombok without losing its shape or looking tired.

The Prana Pow Wow Scarf is super versatile. It’s scarf, it’s a blanket, it’s a pillow, it’s a changing room, it’s a skirt. It’s also made from 100% fair trade wool, and appropriate for any season and most outfits.

Having the perfect pair of shoes that can be dressed up or down, while being comfortable enough to cover lots of miles per day, is essential for saving space while travelling. We all want to bring along 10 pairs of shoes, but true travelers know it’s important to have a small bag so you can jump off that bus or train at any stop to check something out without lugging around lots of big suitcases. So, one-to-two pairs of shoes per trip is the limit. I like the Merrell Jacardia Sandal for that purpose. It’s cute and you can wear it rafting during the day then with a dress to dinner the same night. Wear them around a casual office, then take them for a hike after work. Mom will love these sandals with straps.

Writing this made me want to get out there and go hiking or travel around! I’m looking forward to some urbaneering and Dim Sum with family and friends in San Francisco this Mother’s Day weekend. I hope all of you have an active, fun-loving Mother’s Day celebrating the special moms in your life. It’s the most rewarding job I’ve done!